Helene Siegel - Totally Coffee Cookbook

Copyright 1995 by Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham.

Illustrations copyright 1995 by Carolyn Vibbert. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information or storage and retrieval system, without the express permission of the publisher.

The Totally Coffee Cookbook is produced by becker&mayer!, Ltd.

Interior illustrations: Carolyn Vibbert

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Siegel, Helene.

Totally Coffee Cookbook / by Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-89087-754-8

ISBN-10: 0-89087-754-8

eBook ISBN: 978-0-8041-5300-3

1. Cookery (Coffee) I. Gillingham, Karen. II. Title.

TX819.C6S53 1995

641.6373dc20 95-10967

Celestial Arts Publishing

P.O. Box 7123

Berkeley, CA 94707

v3.1

Other cookbooks in this series:

The Totally Garlic Cookbook

The Totally Chile Pepper Cookbook

The Totally Mushroom Cookbook

The Totally Corn Cookbook

The Totally Cookies Cookbook

The Totally Teatime Cookbook

The Totally Muffins Cookbook

C OFFEE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO FOOD VALUE .

It may increase cholesterol, aggravate ulcers, trigger irregular heartbeats, and bring on panic attacks and strokes. We know it causes sleeplessness and it is habit forming. And yet we love it.

Its flavor blends superbly with chocolate, vanilla, assorted rich liqueurs like rum and brandy, fruit and nuts, and, of course, milk. It is fantastic in creamy desserts, baked into muffins, cookies and cakes, blended into milkshakes, and stirred into hot toddies.

But most of all we love to drink good quality coffee, steaming hot and freshly brewed. We love it when we wake up in the morning, in the middle of the afternoon, and after a wonderful meal.

It is one of lifes great pleasures and it is the one addiction we mean to keep.

The French philosopher Voltaire expressed our sentiments on the caffeine question succinctly, I have been poisoning myself for more than 80 years, he said, and I am not yet dead.

I NSPIRING B EVERAGES

A cup of rich, hot mocha is just right when you cant decide between cocoa and coffee.

1 teaspoon chocolate syrup

freshly brewed strong coffee

hot milk

shaved chocolate, cocoa or whipped cream (optional)

Pour chocolate syrup in large coffee cup or mug. Fill with two thirds coffee and one third milk. Stir and top with shaved chocolate, cocoa, or whipped cream, as desired.

S ERVES 1

Iced Coffee

For quick iced coffee, try pouring freshly brewed coffee over coffee-flavored ice cubes.

Friend and baby sitter, Tamara Tambakian of Los Angeles, taught us this easy method for traditional Armenian or Turkish coffee. It does not call for any special equipment and we understand from Tamara that the future can be read in the sediment left on the bottom of the cup.

1 cup water

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons finely ground dark roast coffee

In small saucepan, preferably with spout, bring water to boil over medium heat. Add sugar and coffee, stir and return to boil. Remove from heat, stir and return to boil again. Repeat one more time for a total of three stirrings. Pour into espresso cups and serve hot.

S ERVES 2

4 cups water

1 small pilncillo (Mexican brown sugar cone) or 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

cup coarsely ground coffee

Combine ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes, return to boil and simmer 5 minutes longer. Strain and serve, preferably from a clay or pottery coffee pot.

S ERVES 4

Homemade coffee syrup is essential for real coffee ice cream sodas and floats. True addicts should keep a jar on hand in the summer for quick sodas and slush drinkssee . Mix about 3 tablespoons syrup with 1 cup sparkling water or club soda for coffee soda.

1 cups hot strong coffee

1 cup sugar

Combine coffee and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook 5 minutes. Let cool, cover, and chill up to 1 week.

M AKES 1 CUPS

CAPPUCCINO ICE CREAM SODA

cup plus 2 tablespoons coffee syrup

cup milk

1 scoop coffee or coffee chocolate chip ice cream

cup sparkling water

In tall glass, stir together coffee syrup and milk. Add ice cream scoop and pour in sparkling water. Serve with straw and spoon.

S ERVES 1

This indulgent refresher comes from the former City restaurant in Los Angeles.

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

1 cup hot strong coffee

cup milk

4 ice cubes

Stir together chocolate and coffee. Pour into blender along with milk and ice. Blend at high speed until ice is crushed and drink is frothy. Pour into tall glass and serve.

S ERVES 1

Youre in for a treat if youve never tasted this rich, sweet complement to spicy Thai foods.

6 ice cubes

cup freshly brewed strong coffee

cup sweetened condensed milk

Blend ice at high speed until shaved. Transfer to tall glass. Combine coffee and condensed milk in blender and blend at high speed until smooth and frothy. Pour over ice and serve with spoon.

S ERVES 1

Breaking the Caffeine Habit

Why anyone would want to stop drinking coffee is beyond us, but if you do need help, the first chapter of Caffeine Anonymous has been started in Portland, Oregon at St. Stephens Episcopal Church.

2 scoops coffee ice cream

1 tablespoons chocolate syrup

cup low fat milk

Combine ingredients in blender and blend at high speed until frothy. Serve over ice in tall glass.

S ERVES 1

Brewing Tips

Since there are so many options for brewing coffee, not to mention espresso drinks, at home we will not delve into the intricacies of each process here. Far weightier tomes are available for that purpose. However a few simple rules hold true: always use cold water, spring water is best; experiment until you get the proportion of grounds to water correct; and never, ever, reheat coffee. Freshly brewed coffee is best stored in an insulated carafe or thermos.

When drinking this potent beverage late at night you may want to say a prayer for the whiskey to overpower the caffeine